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Adnan Syed’s (pictured) case rose to national prominence in 2014, when Sarah Koenig, a journalist for the public radio program “This American Life,” began digging into claims that he had been wrongfully convicted. | Barbara Haddock Taylor/The Baltimore Sun via AP Photo

Adnan Syed, subject of ‘Serial’ podcast, granted new trial

Adnan Syed, whose murder conviction was chronicled in the first season of the wildly popular “Serial” podcast, deserves a new trial, a Maryland appeals panelruled Thursday.

Syed, who in 2000 was convicted of first-degree murder and kidnapping after the death of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, was deemed by the Maryland Court of Special Appeals, the state’s second-highest court, to have received inadequate counsel from his defense attorney during his two original trials.

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The court ruled that Syed’s original attorney, Cristina Gutierrez, failed to call a witness who, if found credible by a jury, “would have made it impossible for Syed to have murdered Hae.”

“Because Syed’s convictions for kidnapping, robbery, and false imprisonment are predicated on his commission of Hae’s murder, these convictions must be vacated as well,” the appeals panel wrote. “The instant case will be remanded for a new trial on all charges against Syed.”

Syed’s appeal rested largely on the unheard testimony of Asia McClain, a fellow schoolmate at Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, who claimed to have spoken to the defendant during the precise period when prosecutors alleged he had murdered Lee.

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Syed’s case rose to national prominence in 2014, when Sarah Koenig, a journalist for the public radio program “This American Life,” began digging into claims that he had been wrongfully convicted.

Justin Brown, Syed’s new lawyer, said during a news conference that he and his client were “thrilled” by the court ruling, according toreports, and that Syed “asked me to convey his deep gratitude and thanks from the bottom of his heart to all those who have supported him and believed in him.”

Brown cited the podcast as “immensely helpful” in helping to bring new light to the case.